You make your own luck by being at the right place as well as at the right time.

I own a Phantom 3 and if I had to make a purchase right now I would buy the Mavic Pro. The improvements DJI has made is remarkable! It is much easier to fly and the video is rock solid.

The latest Sigma 120 - 300mm f/2.8 is an amazing lens at a good price. The weight is manageable for hiking and handheld shots.

I have always thought that a manual camera, in my case a Canon F1, was a good way to learn photography and I found film forced you to consider what you were about to photograph since you paid for each shot. The exposure triangle became instinctual, one click here meant an opposite click there. Fast forward a dozen or so years and I find myself photographing wildlife with a bazooka of a lens, composing an image of a reluctant, as well as moving, subject in a couple of seconds. I let the camera do the work of figuring out the exposure as I compose the picture, knowing that I can quickly override its choices, with a very good chance of obtaining the desired result, if deemed necessary. The lessons learned from my film days are always with me and in my mind's eye, trained over the course of shooting hundreds of rolls of film, I can visualize the results.

Try to get to a Dark Sky Preserve. You will be amazed with how bright the night sky can be!! In the States, I believe you have over, or close to, 25 of them. With most of the light pollution gone it will be easier to spot and photograph them.

I would stay away from the 6D. Although it is a full frame camera, it doesn't come close to the 5DmkIV when it comes to features. For birds and nature, the 7DmkII is my favourite. Great autofocus, good low light capability and the 1.6x crop factor really helps bring the birds in close. For everything else, I use either my 5DmkIII or 5DmkIV. The mark IV is a great camera and has so many features reading the manual is advisable. As a previous poster stated, you won't go wrong with any of the cameras on your list.

The author Patrick O'Brian has a similar character, John/Jack Aubrey, also in the Napoleonic Wars, that covers 21 books. The first 3 novels formed the basis for the film Master and Commander which starred Russel Crowe. As a former Tall Ship officer, I really loved the detail that these books have. Being lengthier than the Hornblower series, the author delves into the lives of his characters and through out the novels runs a secret sub-plot that is revealed to Aubrey several books into the series and essentially directs his naval actions from that moment on.

Apart from this series, Patrick O'Brian's other books are equally enjoyable.

Great photos! Fawns are fun to watch.

Something to consider; 100 mm macro lenses typically have a minimum focusing distance (MFD) of around 12". At this distance between the subject and the sensor plane, the subject is the same size on the sensor as it is in real life. The front of the lens is now about 6" from the subject which, if it is an insect, might get spooked and leave. If your subject is a flower, the chances of it getting spooked is not an issue but if it does be sure to get a photo, you have something quite rare and definitely photo worthy. The solution is to use a 150 mm or, better still, a 180 mm lens which have MFD's in the 15" to 19" range. Unfortunately these lenses are physically longer so the gain in MFD results in a minimum working distance (MWD) of 7.5" to 9.5" respectively. This increase in MWD might mean the difference between spooking the insect or getting the shot. Another advantage of the longer focal length macro lenses is the bokeh is softer than the shorter lens allowing greater visual isolation between the subject and the background.

A beautiful image of my favourite time of day.

Since everything is moving, albeit slowly, I use a gear head such as a Manfrotto 405 for very fine movements with no backlash. Sturdy tripod legs are a must. Also, I make sure the tripod is sitting on something hard and heavy and made of either concrete, asphalt or stone.
For the least light pollution, go to your nearest Dark Sky Preserve ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark-sky_preserve ) and you will be amazed at what is possible to be seen. The gear is pretty straight forward, a suitable location is more difficult to find.

Simply beautiful!!
For an event that happens every day, I never tire of seeing a sunset. It is so reaffirming.

After Canon L series glass, Sigma is my choice. Canon's latest version of the 70 - 200mm f/2.8 lens might be worth looking at. It won't be cheap but it will be the best in terms of build and IQ.

Damn! I own a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and am thinking of buying a 5D4 to replace my 5D3 this year. While it isn't a deal breaker, it sure gives one to pause. The Sigma lens is a great lens and is known for its sharpness. I wonder if there are any other lenses out there with similar issues when mounted on the 5D4?

Years ago I thought I made a major discovery when I shot a friend's portrait with my 100mm macro wide open against some supermarket shelves as an experiment with a new lens. The busy background had a lovely blur but her face was tack sharp. When I showed the result to a pro friend he said that everyone used this lens for portraits. Talk about taking the wind out of my sails!